Clock striking



(No Model.)

F. A. LANE.

CLOCK STRIKING.

No. 313,344. Patented Mar. s, 1885.

UNITED STATES PATENT CEEreE.

FREDERIC A. LANE, OF NE\V HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE NEV HAVEN CLOCK COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CLOCK-STRIKING.

SPECETICATIN fori-ning part of Letters Patent No. $18,344:, dated Ldarch 3, 1825.

Appieation filed November 5M, 1894. (No model.)

2"'0 all whom, t may conceive.-

Be it known that I, FEED. A. LANE, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvementin Cloek-hlovernents; and l do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specifica tion, and represent, in-

Figure 1, a front view, the front plate rcmoved to show the mechanism, the stud and three-armed lever represented in their proper.

position, as if the front plate to which they are attached were present, a part of the arm t' of the lever broken away to illustrate parts in rear of it; Fig. 2, atop view, portions ofthe train removed to illustrate the arrangement and operation of the three-armed lever; Fig. 3, the three-armed lever audits immediate eonnections detached and enlarged; Fig. 4C, a perspective view of the end of the lever c.

This invention relates to an improvement in that part of a clock-movement by which the striking is produced, and particularly to the style of movement in which the movement is of circular forni, the train arranged between two plates, and commonly called a French77 movement. ln this class of movement the strike-wheel and the immediately-connecting levers are arranged outside the front plate.

The object of my invention is to bring the entire strike mechanism between the plates, and without increasing the space occupied by this part of the movement; and it consists, principally, in a three-armed lever hung upon a pivot on one plate, one arm extending toward the center or hour shaft and in the path of a cam on said shaft, whereby said arm will he turned by said cam at a predetermined time; a second arm arranged to turn the catch from the strike-wheel and release the train during the irst part ot' the said movement of thetlrst arm; a third arnrin the path of a stop on one of the shafts back of the ily, whereby, after the release of the strike-wheel, the movement of the train will be arrested to produce the warning; then as the irst arm escapes 'rom the cam of the hour-shaft the warning-shaft will be released and the movement permitted to run to produce the strike, and as more fully hereinafter described.

A represents the back plate, and Bthe front plate, of the movement, C, the center or hour shaft, which receives its rotation from the time partof the movement. rThe train which imparts this movement is not shown in the illustration, such train being common and well known.

D is the strike-wheel,arranged on the mainshaft E; F, the strike-linger, which extends from a rock-shaft, G, and from the same shaft an arm, a, extends up and terminates in a hook or shoulder, Z), in the path of a stud, d, on the wheel H, which is the second wheel back of the ilyl. The strike-ringer F and the end Z) of the arm are arranged in the usual relation to the stud d, and so that when the finger falls into a notch on the strike-wheel thc shoulder or end b of the arm a will come into the path ot' the stud d on the wheel H, and thereby arrest the train. This is a common and well-known mechanism.

On astnd, L,extending inward from the front plate, a three-armed lever is arranged. The iirst arm, e, extends toward the center shaft. On the upper side or back ofthis arm a springarm, f, is arranged. As here represent-ed, this is a wire extending from the stud, and at the end of the arm c passes through a notch, g, and so as to project beyond the end of the arm toward the center shaft. On the center shaft is the usual cam, h, and which, as the shaft rotates under the action of thetimemove1nent,will strike the projecting springf, and thereby lift the arm, as indicated in Fig. 3, broken lines indicating the normal condi! tion of that arm. The object of the spring will be hereinafter more fully explained. The second arm, i, ofthetlnee-armed lever extends from the hub in nearly the opposite direction to the arm c, and stands over an arm, Z, projecting upward and inward from the shaft G, and so that as the arm e is raised under the action of the cam It the cam i will be depressed and turn the shaft G to take the strike-iinger F out from the notch in the strike-wheel D, and at the same time turn the shoulder I) of the arm a from its connection with the stud d on the wheel H, which movement liberates the wheel H and permits fot' the second wheel, M.

the train to proceed under the action of the spring.vv rllhe third arm, m, extends upward from the hub, its end standing near the shaft the wheel M is a projecting finger, a, which in the normal condition of the movement stands back or away from the end ofthe arm m of the three-armed lever, and as seen in Fig. l. At the time the cam acts to turn the arm e, as before described, into the position seen in Fig. 3, and so as to release the train, the arm m is thrown toward the shaft of the second wheel, M, and into the path of the 1inger a, and so that as the train advances the linger n will come into contact with the end of the arm m, as seen in Fig. 3, and thus the train will be arrested aftera slight movement. This movement is what is commonly called the warning,77 and the train will be held in that condition until the center shaft revolves so far as to takethe eam It from engagement with the arm e, as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 3, at which time the three-armetl lever is released, and when so released a spring, r, (here represented as a wire spring extending from the stud L, and arranged to bear upward beneath the arm L) will return the three-armed lever to its normal position, where it rests upon a stud, s, projecting inward from the plate of the case, thereby releasing the finger a, as well as the strike iinger; then the strikemovement proceeds in the usual manner, and until the finger shall fall into the iirst notch, when the train will be stopped by the engagement of the end b with the stud d on the wheel I-I, in the usual manner.

'By this arrangement of the three armed lever inside the plate I am enabled to bring the entire mechanism of thestrike-movement between the two plates. The arm f is a springarm, the tendency of the spring being upward against the bottom of the notch g; but it is free for downward movement. The object of this arrangement is that should the pointers be turned backward-that is, in the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow, Fig. 3-the cam will strike the end of the spring and turn that spring downward until the cam sha-ll escape therefrom, then the spring will return to its place in the notch. This arrangement therefore permits the poin ter to be turned backward without possible interference with the strike mechanism. In someeases the warning may not be required. In such cases the arm m, as well as the linger a on the second wheel, may be omitted. I

therefore do not wish to limit my invention to the necessary employment ot' the third arm m.

I have represented the strike-wheel and the center shaft as arranged for hour strikes but From the shaft of,

if intermediate strikes are required the usual arrangement of cams on the center shaft and the construction of strike-wheel corresponding to such intermediate strike will be provided.

If the provision for the backward movement ofthe pointers is not desirable. then the arm e may extend into the path of the cam lL, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 3, and the springf be omitted.

I claiml. The combination of the strike-wheel D, the strike-tinger F, arm c, the stop-stud ZZ, the hour-shaft, cam h thereon, and aleverarranged upon a stud between lthe hour and strike-1inger shafts, one arm, e, extending toward the hour-shaft and into the path of the cam l1 thereon. the other over an arm or projection, Z, from the shaft ofthe strike-finger, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the strike-wheel D, strike-finger F, arm a, extending from the strike-iinger shaft and into the path of the stud (Z on the wheel H, the hourshaft provided with a cam, It, and a lever arranged between the hour-shaft and the shalt ot' the strike-linger, one arm, e, of said shaft extending toward the hour-shaft and carryillg a spring, j", which projects from the arm into the path of the cam l1, the said spring arranged to engage the arm in the forward movement of the cam Zz, but free from the arm in the reverse movement ofthe cam, the second arm, t', of said lever extending over an arm, Z, projecting from the strike-finger shaft, substantially as described.

3. rlhe combination of the strike-wheel D, strikeringer F, arm a, extending from the strike-finger shaft into the path ofthe stud eZ on the wheel H, the hour-shaft provided with a cam, lz, and a three-armed lever arranged upon a stud Inojecting inward from the plate of the movement, one of said arms extending toward the hour-wheel and into the path of the cam /L thereon, the second of said arms extending over a projection, Z, from the shaft of the strikeiinger, the third arm extending toward one ofthe shafts in the train, near the tty, the said one shalt provided with a finger, n, substantially as described, and whereby under the movement of the said three-armed lever, produced by the rotation of the hour-shaft, the count-wheel will be first released by the second arm and the train immediately arrested by said third arm engaging the said finger a.

FREDERIC A. LANE.

-Witnesses:

JOHN E. Extern, Jos. C. Ennis.

IIO 

